Category Archives: Travel Stories

All of you have considered traveling solo at some point of time or the other in life. The rising influence of social media channels bombards you with posts about traveling and ‘finding yourself’ every now and then and encourages you to leave your stable 9 to 5 job and take off. But it’s not as easy as it sounds! Travel involves money, a lot of it. It involves planning, you can’t make the best of your trip if you haven’t spent days doing R&D about the place. And it requires you to be brave! To be ready to take on whatever comes your way. The Instagram and Facebook pictures uploaded after a solo trip focus only on the good parts. But every trip has its ups and downs and is no less than a crazy roller coaster ride.

Mcleod Ganj is a small and pretty town located in Dharamshala! They say it has lost its charm in recent years; the weather is not as great as it used to be and commercialization of the town has taken a toll on the natural beauty and scenery it once boasted of. For me, it was still one of the prettiest locations on the trip! In my recent backpacking trip to Himachal Pradesh with The Land Out There, it was the first place that we hit. Views of the snow-clad mountains of the Himalayan ranges and walking on pavements along the deep valleys is what our two-day stay in this town consisted of.

Backpacking as a concept fascinates one and all! Living like a nomad in new and strange places, talking to new people from all over the globe and eating different kinds of food; whether you are a person that can pull it off or not, the thought of giving it a shot has definitely crossed your mind at some point in time or the other. Bringing the concept of backpacking to India, The Land Out There is one such company that is making travelling across the country easy and affordable for youngsters like us. Based in Bombay, TLOT is run by two young minds, Sherwin and Divya, and gives you the closest experience of backpacking that you can have.

A close to 5-hour drive from the capital city of Kathmandu, the Valley of Pokhara boasts of its beautiful lakes, and the spectacular backdrop of snowy peaks and surrounding greenery it brings along. You can take a tour bus, costing NPR 600-700, or a minivan, costing NPR 500, from the main city of Kathmandu, and it will take you right in the center of the Pokhara valley, where the lakeside hotels and homestays lie at a walking distance. Here is a list of 10 things you do not want to miss out on doing when you are amidst that scenic beauty:

Leh-Ladakh is one of the prettiest places in our country. Not only us Indians, but people from over the world are fascinated by the sight of the scenic Himalayan mountains, the seamless barren lands, the high altitudes and the amazing terrain, which give you an adrenaline rush like no other. Right from the snow-filled ghats on the way to Khardungla top, to the cold sand dunes at Diskit in Nubra Valley, and the breath-taking views of the Pangong Lake, which lies partly in India and partly in China, a trip to Leh-Ladakh is one that will be etched in your memory for times unknown.

After embracing the might of the world’s highest motorable road, Khardungla, it was time for us to experience the serenity and beauty of Pangong! Pangong – the world’s highest salt water lake, Asia’s second largest lake and a water body that extends so far and wide that a quarter of it lies in our country land, and rest of the three quarters lie in China; the white sand on the shores of the lake, the changing colours of the water right from shades of deep blue to turquoise and green, and the extremely strong blows of wind throughout the day and night make Pangong a perfect destination for some relaxing and rejuvenation, which us, as riders, needed the most.

Remember singing the song ‘I’m on the top of the world’ in school? We were literally going to be on top of the world after about 48 hours of reaching Ladakh. How? Our troop of soldiers (read riders) was making plans of conquering Khardungla, the highest motorable road of the world, which lies at a height of 18,380 feet above the sea level. With the four of days continuous riding that we had been doing, our confidence levels had definitely risen, but the sight of the mountains, clad with heavy snow, which we got from our hotel, still gave each one of us the shivers.